Days after Pablo Lopez was announced to be undergoing Tommy John surgery, the Minnesota Twins were dealt another blow. Joe Ryan was scratched from a spring start due to back tightness. On the bright side, it was later diagnosed as inflammation, and he's still tentatively on track for Opening Day.
These are the dangers facing prospective MLB futures bettors in the early days of spring training. Old injuries resurface, new ones take hold, and uncertainty and chaos reign.
So, who will challenge Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes? Will anyone? A couple of arms (Hunter Greene and Cole Ragans) are on my radar in late February.
As camp ramps up, keep an eye on the latest MLB odds and 2026 MLB Cy Young predictions below.
Odds to win AL Cy Young award 2026
| Player |  |
|---|---|
 Tarik Skubal |
+350 |
 Garrett Crochet |
+425 |
 Jacob deGrom |
+1300 |
 Cole Ragans |
+1300 |
 Hunter Brown |
+1300 |
 Max Fried |
+1700 |
 Bryan Woo |
+2000 |
| Logan Gilbert |
+2000 |
| Framber Valdez |
+2200 |
 Gavin Williams |
+2500 |
 Kyle Bradish |
+3000 |
| Ranger Suarez |
+3500 |
 Dylan Cease |
+3500 |
 Joe Ryan |
+4000 |
| Carlos Rodon |
+4000 |
| Trevor Rogers |
+4000 |
| Kevin Gausman |
+4000 |
| MacKenzie Gore |
+4000 |
| Nathan Eovaldi |
+4000 |
| George Kirby |
+4000 |
 Jose Soriano |
+4500 |
| Bryce Miller |
+5000 |
| Cam Schlittler |
+5000 |
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Odds last updated on 2-24.
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Odds to win NL Cy Young award 2026
| Player | |
|---|---|
 Paul Skenes |
+225 |
 Yoshinobu Yamamoto |
+500 |
 Cristopher Sanchez |
+1000 |
 Chris Sale |
+1400 |
 Hunter Greene |
+1400 |
| Blake Snell |
+1800 |
 Logan Webb |
+2000 |
 Zack Wheeler |
+2000 |
| Spencer Strider |
+3000 |
| Shohei Ohtani |
+3000 |
 Brandon Woodruff |
+3000 |
 Freddy Peralta |
+3000 |
| Jesus Luzardo |
+3000 |
| Jacob Misiorowski |
+3000 |
| Nolan McLean |
+3500 |
| Tyler Glasnow |
+3500 |
 Michael King |
+4000 |
| Nick Pivetta |
+4500 |
| Nick Lodolo |
+4500 |
 Eury Perez |
+4500 |
| Mitch Keller |
+5000 |
Odds last updated on 2-24.
MLB Cy Young futures bets
I don't like to go too crazy with my preseason bets, preferring to sprinkle a little bit here and there if I see value. But with so many variables, particularly when it comes to pitchers (see Pablo Lopez), I would rather get some data in the regular season before committing too much of my bankroll to MLB futures bets.
Still, there is value to be found, and I have my eyes on a few bets here. If either still looks good in April and beyond, I can always revisit and ramp up my commitment.
| Bet | Odds | Bet date | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Greene |
+1400 | February 24 | 0.25 |
| Cole Ragans |
+1300 | February 24 | 0.25 |
The chalk picks of Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes make sense, and it's hard to bet against them before a regular-season inning is played, but their odds are simply too short for my liking. The same goes for Garrett Crochet in the American League, who is certainly a viable alternative.
Instead, I'm looking at two pitchers who are priced a tier or two below the major front-runners because of lengthy injury histories standing in their way. Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans was limited to 61 2/3 innings in 2025, but he was electric when able to take the mound. The 4.67 ERA is unseemly, but that came with a 2.67 expected ERA and a 2.50 FIP. It's reasonable to assume he was a bit unlucky, especially with improvements to his strikeout rate and walk rate.
His 30.4% K-BB rate was the best among MLB starters with at least 60 innings pitched last season, and he has a clean bill of health entering spring training.
As for Cincinnati Reds righty Hunter Greene, he threw just 107 2/3 innings but was arguably the best version of himself. His 2.76 ERA was just a tick off his 2024 mark, and he posted the best strikeout and walk rates of his career, at 31.4% and 6.2%, respectively.
If Greene can roll those improvements into a larger workload, he has the stuff to be there in the home stretch.
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Previous Cy Young Award winners
Here are the last 10 winners of the AL and NL Cy Young Award, with Detroit, Cleveland, Houston, Washington, and the New York Mets each leading the way with two. Overall, the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have the most Cy Youngs all time (12), followed by the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves with eight and the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Mets with seven apiece.
Previous AL Cy Young winners
| Year | American League Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 |  Tarik Skubal |
| 2024 | Tarik Skubal |
| 2023 | Gerrit Cole |
| 2022 | Justin Verlander |
| 2021 | Robbie Ray |
| 2020 | Shane Bieber |
| 2019 | Justin Verlander |
| 2018 |  Blake Snell |
| 2017 | Corey Kluber |
| 2016 | Rick Porcello |
Previous NL Cy Young winners
| Year | National League Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 |  Paul Skenes |
| 2024 | Chris Sale |
| 2023 | Blake Snell |
| 2022 |  Sandy Alcantara |
| 2021 | Corbin Burnes |
| 2020 | Trevor Bauer |
| 2019 | Jacob deGrom |
| 2018 | Jacob deGrom |
| 2017 |  Max Scherzer |
| 2016 | Max Scherzer |
Pitchers with multiple Cy Young awards
Twenty-two pitchers have won multiple Cy Young Awards, led by Roger Clemens' seven trophies. Of those 22 winners, five are still active in the majors.
| Pitcher | Number of Cy Young Awards (Years) |
|---|---|
| Roger Clemens | 7 (1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004) |
| Randy Johnson | 5 (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) |
| Steve Carlton | 4 (1972, 1977, 1980, 1982 |
| Greg Maddux | 4 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) |
| Seven different pitchers | 3 |
| 12 different pitchers | 2 |
Popular MLB futures markets
MLB Cy Young Odds
Detroit Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal is again favored after winning the award in 2024 and 2025.
Paul Skenes is the favorite to repeat as NL Cy Young winner after taking home the hardware in 2025.
Detroit Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal and Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Paul Skenes won the AL and NL Cy Young Awards, respectively.
Roger Clemens won seven Cy Young awards throughout his career. Only one other pitcher, Randy Johnson, has even won five.
Detroit Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal won AL Cy Young in 2024 and 2025 to become the first pitcher since Jacob deGrom won the NL Cy in 2018 and 2019.
Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson are the only pitchers to ever win three straight Cy Young Awards, each accomplishing the feat in four consecutive seasons.
